The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed on Jul. 26, 1990 as Public Law 101-336 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12101 et seq). The ADA generally became effective on Jan. 26, 1992. This landmark federal legislation opens up services and employment opportunities to the 43 million Americans with disabilities. The intent of the law was to strike a balance between the reasonable accommodation of an individual's needs and the capacity of private and public entities to respond.
The law includes five titles that prohibit discrimination against disabled persons within the United States. Title II sets forth the applicable structural accessibility requirements for public entities. Title III sets forth the applicable structural accessibility requirements for private entities.
Under the law, public accommodations such as hotels, restaurants, theaters, stores, offices, transit stations, museums, parks, schools, social service agencies, and gyms must not discriminate against individuals with disabilities.
In existing facilities, barriers must be removed when such removal can be accomplished without much difficulty or expense. If not, alternative methods of making goods and services available must be in place, if such methods are readily achievable. New facilities must be accessible unless structurally impracticable.
To comply with the requirements of the ADA, it is often necessary to erect an enabling structure to facilitate access of disabled individuals to a difficult to access area. This may include traversing of an uneven terrain or other obstacles so as to provide equal access to all individuals.